Sorina Cristina Soare

Hit by Populism: Democracy in Ruins?: Lessons from the Romanian Transition

Populist parties’ dazzling success has been registered in numerous new and old Member states for a while; populism has occupied a crucial position in Romanian politics since the onset of post-communism, with constant emphasis on the iconic role of the people in the democracy, the role of the leader in public statements and in the party’s organisation, the promotion of Manichean and simplistic solutions to the political/economic agenda, as well as the constant use of direct and emotional appeals, etc. Within this framework, the research question is: can Romanian populism be understood as a “temporary” problem of adjustment and adaptation, or is it a deeper structural effect, which requires further attention, considering its potential threats to the stability of the post-communist regime? Considering populism as a multi-faceted phenomenon that cannot be traced to a unique structure or a single/specific agency, the conclusions suggest the existence of an osmotic relationship between deep-rooted populism and democracy in Romania, in the sense that it is difficult to clearly identify which is the cause of the other. As such, the Romanian specificity stems from the constancy of this phenomenon and, above all, from its potential for contamination: populist cries become national mainstream catchwords.

From TV to Parliament: Populism and Communication in the Romanian 2012 Elections

Since the early 90s populism has been a regular component of Romanian politics. Over time, several populist parties gained representation, but their success was on the short-term. In 2012, the combination of charismatic leadership and intense mediatisation – primarily through leader’s business, a TV station – guaranteed the electoral success of a newly emerged populist party. In the absence of organizational and ideological roots, the party evolved around the figure of its leader, thus developing in an illustrative case of Caesaro-partism. Due to the resilience of its features such a model may prove feasible for medium or long-term electoral performances.

A test of European Union post-accession influence: comparing reactions to political instability in Romania

The positive role of the European Union (EU) in the democratization process in post-communist countries has been amply documented. The pre-accession conditionality was to a large extent the tool used to enhance adoption of norms, and implementation of policy. In this context, it is less clear what happens after countries join the EU and conditionality is no longer an option. This article seeks to provide an answer by analysing how the EU can influence democratic governance after accession of a new member state. In particular, it focuses on the reactions of EU actors in two institutional conflicts (the 2007 and 2012 presidential impeachment referendums) in Romania. The main findings indicate how EU leverage on domestic politics remains possible, though the effectiveness of involvement, monitoring and evaluation of respect for democratic principles depends on a complex interaction of international and domestic actors.

Phoenix Populism: Radical Right Parties’ Mobilization in Romania after 2015

This paper is the first exploratory analysis of the ideological features of extra-parliamentary radical-right populist parties in Romania, which, despite lacking parliamentary power, confirm the latent fertility of Romanian politics for populism. Using qualitative content analysis of programs and statutes, we identify a decreased relevance of ethnicity-based mobilization and an increased emphasis on cultural, religious, and/or gender-based criteria. All of the analyzed parties converge on the need for increased discipline and major anti-corruption measures, a smooth continuity with previous forms of populism. The extra-parliamentary group of Romanian radical populists resembles a phoenix, regularly rising from its ashes, although only partially renewed.

Io sono (come) voi! Alla ricerca della mobilitazione elettorale: leader e partiti populisti nell’Europa postcomunista

Populism has often been used to analyze political parties, leaders and post-communist movements. Most of the literature on this topic is concentrated on the ideological features of post-communist populism. Based on a comparison between the Slovak National Party, the Bulgarian Ataka and the Hungarian Jobbik, the analysis aims to provide new insights on the organizational dimensions of post-communist populist parties. More specifically, the analysis focuses on the features of the three parties’ leaders from their origins until 2016, and it is based on qualitative content analysis of official documents (party statutes and programs), as well as desk research. The paper argues that although highly centralized organizational structures and strong leaders characterize all of the three parties, important variances across cases can be documented. Differences are mainly explained in relation to the age of the parties analyzed and their origins. Beyond the limited empirical focus, the analysis fine-tunes the role of the party leader in post-communist political phenomena, the still open question being whether the parties analyzed look increasingly like mainstream parties when it comes to the features of their leaders, or the other way around.

Political Activism: Post-communist Challenges and Opportunities in East Central Europe

Contrary to standard narratives on the declining function of parties in fostering political participation, this article argues that far from abandoning the cause of participation, post-communist political parties diversified the understanding of the party as a mobilizing agency by adapting their internal organizations. On the basis of a mid-range number of cases (e.g. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia) the study identified different patterns of evolution within a complex interaction effect between participation and organizational development. The peculiarity of the parties’ organization and functions has shaped political participation both as an opportunity structure (legitimizing the political system and increasing citizens’ involvement in politics) and as a democratic challenge (increasing the pro-pensity of parties towards populism, ‘seasonal’ membership, corruption and clientelism).

Party organization and electoral volatility in Central and Eastern Europe: enhancing voter loyalty

It is widely recognised that parties occupied a major role in the crucial decisions made during the democratisation process in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). A quarter of a century after the fal...